Headed to Huntington Beach SP, what do I need to know?

4fromOH wrote:
And I guess I won't plan on cooking on the fire this trip we really need to invest in our own cooking grate, but the good ones are pricy :)

We just bought one of these a couple months ago (the basic one) and really enjoy it. It'll cook an entire chicken with just 8-10 charcoal briquettes. Very light-weight, sturdy and the price was light weight too.
Cobb Portable Tabletop Grill

Thank you everyone for the replies! I was worried about the Mosquitos this time of year :( But I certainly hadn't thought about gators!!!! Thanks for the heads up! And I guess I won't plan on cooking on the fire this trip we really need to invest in our own cooking grate, but the good ones are pricy :) We're excited to get away and get to the beach. The camper has been lonely for almost two months!!! Thanks again!!!

We were just at Huntington last month for the 2nd time. If you are staying in the woods, make sure you have bug spray, because the mosquitoes are around. I don't believe the fire rings have grates to be honest, and we didn't use the bath houses either.

If you take the nature trail keep an eye out for gators. We stumbled upon a 6ft one laying on the side of the trail. I know, beach and gators shouldn't mix. Atalaya is a pretty neat tour. It would be nice to have lived in that house back in the day! The beach is less crowded at the campground access area than the public day access area. You'll see what I mean if you look at a map.

We made sure to wash our feet off at the boardwalk before getting back into the campground. That helped with keeping sand out of our RV, but you'll get some sand no matter what- it just hides everywhere. It's our favorite park in MB because it is pretty quiet and private compared to most other parks. I hope you enjoy your visit!

You can do a little geocaching for the 6 year old - the park will clue you in. It's like a treasure hunt and enjoyable. The 3 year old will be happy just to dig in the sand and splash around a bit.

Here's their Things to Do page
http://www.southcarolinaparks.com/huntingtonbeach/huntingtonbeach-things.aspx

It's a nice park. Not hard to find. Entrance is right on 17, close to Brookgreen Gardens just across the highway.

When you get there, go to the visitor center and check in. We were there for a weekend in late 2011, and the rangers were very friendly and welcoming. Ask about activities for kids. You can get wifi there, sitting outside even when they are closed.

Distance to the beach depends on your site, seems like there were a few board walkways from the campground leading via a short walk through the trees to the sand dunes. Beautiful, very old live oak trees and an unspoiled beach. Take bug spray.

I don't recall cooking on a grate at our campsite, though they may have them. Seems like it was a ground level fire pit. Rangers sold bundles of wood at the visitor center. We put down one of those plastic RV rugs and that kept sand contained. But had to give it a good shake before leaving.

People were friendly when we were there, walking dogs and chatting.

The old mansion Atalaya is interesting to walk through. It is almost in ruins and unfurnished, right beside the ocean. Once quite a place, apparently.

I've been to a number of Fed/State/City&County parks in the Carolinas. Unfortunately Huntington Bch. SP hasn't been one of them... yet!:) However, YouTube has a pretty good video showing the sites. You can use Google Earth to view the campground and see a couple of pics of the boardwalk leading from the CG through the trees and dunes to the beach. While beach camping, I use the camper's outdoor shower to knock off the sand. Still, take a broom and a 12v hand vac.:B Enjoy your trip.